Apple plans to bring Apple Intelligence to China in iOS 27.3 after two years of regulatory delays, reports Bloomberg. The launch will include basic AI features for photo editing, but Siri AI won't be available. Image Playground and the newer Genmoji will be missing, and text generation tools will be limited. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently granted Apple network access permits to integrate Alibaba’s Qwen and Tongyi Wanxiang models into the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and earlier iPhones.
Apple first introduced Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1, but it has been absent in China since launch. The company received initial clearance in July but needed additional approvals for a consumer rollout. Due to China’s restrictions on foreign AI, Apple partnered with Alibaba and Baidu, and must allow government approval of ongoing AI model updates.
Competitors like Huawei have long offered AI features, putting Apple at a disadvantage. iOS 27.3 is expected in December.
Source: MacRumors · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing